In an era that has already seen computer chip–implanted human brains, genetically modified foods, cloned mammals, and humans kept alive by machines, we will have to continue to refine our definition of Life, argues Ed Regis in this scientific and moral overview. Along the way he touches upon what scientists do and don’t know about the secrets of life, and the necessity of right to life issues like abortion and euthanasia being decided by individuals rather than scientifically.

"Ed Regis is always a careful researcher, always an independent thinker. In this subversive little book, he shows that the biggest of big questions is still worth asking—more urgently now than ever."—David Quammen